


Prove It (Mark Tuan fanfic)

by JhingBautista



Category: GOT7
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-19 15:27:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16537235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JhingBautista/pseuds/JhingBautista
Summary: "Ah... kindness. What a simple way to tell another struggling soul that there is love to be found in this world."If there is something harder to leave behind than love, it's guilt. Jia has always had this burden ever since high school. It's been buried underneath all her other problems, but it's always been there.When she saw Mark again, that guilt resurfaced. And it brought back something else too, something she never thought she still has.But what if they just met for the sake of closure? For her to apologize and for him to forgive? What if that is the end of it?Will she be able to say goodbye again?





	1. See You Again

**Author's Note:**

> This was already posted on Twitter (@jhingness), but I can't get over it, I decided to make an extended version. I won't change the story. I'll just make it... more colorful, I guess?
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading. I'm new to this fanfic writing so forgive my lapses, but do point out my mistakes. In a nice way, please. I'm understanding, but I don't tolerate condescending people.
> 
> Also.... I suck at tenses and grammar in general. I'm so sorry. I promise I'm always trying to be better.
> 
> Thank you!

_"Happy trails to you, until we meet again." -Dale Evans_

\--

It's a beautiful day. The sky is blue, the sun is out... and it's _glaring_! Jia could feel her sleepy brain being melted by the harsh sunlight. Her friend never advised her to wear a hat or sunglasses, at least. Her throat is suddenly craving for some liquid.

When she saw a cafe on the other side of the street, she pulled at her friend and told her she needed coffee. "Please. I'm about to lose my mind!" she said hoarsely.

But just as they were about to cross, she spotted someone familiar. His face has changed over the years. He's gotten taller too. Yet she recognized him in an instant. It must be the guilt she's been carrying all these years.

Mark just got out of the cafe they're about to walk into. He's with his friends. 

"Let's just find another cafe," she told her friend.

"Why? I thought you're already dying of thirst?"

"I don't like the coffee there," was her excuse.

Her friend didn't believe her, obviously. They've never been on this part of town before. But she couldn't bring herself to admit why she suddenly changed her mind. It might open an old wound, one that took time healing. And judging by how she reacted upon seeing him that day, sh realized it still wasn't completely healed.

\--

How long has it been since the last time she saw him? Three years? Four? He's changed a lot. He's taller now, manlier, but he still has the same kind face that smiles a lot and the same kind eyes, always lidded with concern. 

She closed her eyes and sighed.  _It's been a while, Mark._

"Come on, Jia!"

Her friend pulled her towards the cafe. They braved through the passing cars. She prayed they won't get hit.

Fortunately, her friend was able to  _safely_ navigate the street. Hand getting clammy, she prayed he won't recognize her. But in case he would, she readied some simple replies and possible scenarios inside her head. One option was to pretend she didn't see him. That could work. She just have to focus her eyes ahead.

Her heart hammered against her chest as they approached. But an odd thing happened. Mark's friends went back inside. So he followed. 

_Great._

\--

She threw them a quick glance. They were a noisy bunch, mostly guys. They were all gathered around one table, planning to watch a movie. She couldn't understand most of what they're saying because they talk over one another, but she definitely noticed how Mark was just quietly standing on one side.

"Jia! Your order!" her friend called her attention.

She averted her gaze and looked at the menu board. She doesn't even feel thirsty anymore. Unable to decide, she just pointed to a drink she thought looked like coffee with milk and nodded absentmindedly when the staff asked her a few questions. 

While her friend was busy paying the cashier, she took one quick look at the group again. They were already leaving.

For a brief moment, their eyes met.

\--

As quickly as it happened, Mark broke the connection and turned to leave.

She felt relief and a tiny prick at her chest when she realized he didn't recognize her. She was thankful, of course. It would have been awkward, otherwise. Why would he want to remember her, anyway?


	2. The Bully

_"They can't kill your dream so they assassinate your character."_

_\--_

"Do you know Mark?"

 

Jia was hanging out with some friends at the back of the school when one of them asked her that. It's unusual for them to ask about boys when she's not dating anyone.

"Mark who? I know a lot of Mark."  _Such a common, boring name_ , she wanted to add.

"The scrawny kid with the ugly haircut," Laura, the leader of the pack, told her.

Jia scrunched her nose and furrowed her eyebrows. there are a lot of scrawny kids at school and some of them have horrible haircut, but only one stood out the most... for all the wrong reasons. That Mark. The quiet kid who's always carrying a sketchpad. The one who simply stares but never talks. 

Everyone thinks he's weird. He has no friends, not that anyone know of anyway, but he doesn't look lonely. Like it's his choice he's always alone.

"What about him?"

Greta, one of her friends, sneered. "He likes you."

Everyone laughed as if Mark liking her was such a funny thing. She didn't know if she'd be offended or confused, so she let them explain why they found it laughable.

They showed her a few sketches of her. They said Mark drew them. 

"We found him ogling at you the other day. Bet he's jacking off to those drawings too, huh."

If she found the statement disgusting, Jia masked it with a forced smile. She didn't see malice in those drawings, though. They didn't look like sketches of someone who's lusting over a girl's body.

In fact, she found them nice. Her eyes looked alive. The expressions on her face were on point.

She dropped the papers, feigning boredom. "So?"

"Why don't you play with him a little?"

It was a suggestion, but the underlying authoritative tone implied otherwise. They weren't asking. 


	3. Sleepless Nights

_"Maybe someday, we will be two people meeting again for the first time."_

_\--_

Jia had a hard time sleeping that night. Seeing him again unraveled all the knots she's kept in place, in an attempt to keep the past at bay. 

After what she and her friends did to him, especially that one night before graduation, her guilt ate her up inside. It was hard to sleep when all of her bad decisions come back to haunt her at night. She tried to talk to Mark after graduation, but he didn't stay to take pictures. He left with his family right after getting his diploma. And then, she learned that they moved to another town after that.

Jia closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Only to open them again when his face flashed in her mind. Grunting, she got up and opened her laptop. 

_Mark Tuan,_ she typed. As she expected, the internet doesn't have much to say about him. She already reached the third page of Google before finally getting a hit. It was a drawing of an anime character. He was tagged on Instagram. When she looked at his profile, the account has 0 posts.  _Great._

Mark didn't even put his own picture as the display. It's a sketch of his face.

She bit her lip, suddenly in deep thought. Maybe he's tagged in other pictures? He has friends now. Surely there's a picture of him somewhere.

The first picture she saw was the one that lead her on Instagram. There's only one other picture, another sketch. She slightly shook her head, amused at how he easily gives his sketches away when he could earn money from drawing.

She clicked at the picture, scrolled through the users' profile, and didn't find any Mark. Sighing, she went back to the picture and stared at it, looking for clues. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise when she accidentally tapped it, revealing another tagged account.

_@drawingsbytuan_

Intrigued, she checked the account and almost exclaimed "Hallelujah!" when she finally saw pictures of Mark. He grew up well. He was always so reserved back in high school. He seldom smiled. 

Now, he has a lot of pictures of him grinning from ear to ear, surrounded by his newfound friends. He looks like he's already happy. But she still has to apologize to him. She hopes that doing so won't wipe that smile off of his face.


	4. Hello Again

_"That awkward moment when you think you're important to someone, and you're not."_

_\--_

The length Jia's willing to go to just to ease her guilt amazes her. She invested so much time searching for Mark's whereabouts, but her friend, her personal  _FBI,_ managed to learn about his course, his department, and even his schedule. It didn't surprise her, though. Once, her friend had a crush on someone and only knew his first name. After a few days, she managed to get his number.

The guy wasn't happy, though. He found it creepy. But what her friend has, undeniably, is talent.

Jia smiled to herself. She inhaled, trying to calm the erratic beating of her heart. She's been standing outside the school gate for almost twenty minutes. Mark's last subject was supposed to be over thirty minutes ago. She wasn't sure if she's waiting on the right exit. There are three gates at that school, but she took her chance with the main gate.

She raised her head when she heard people talking loudly. They were so loud, people actually stopped to see who's exiting the gate. They were a bunch of guys, laughing and haggling one another. They're the same guys she saw at the coffee shop. 

Her heartbeat quickened, eyes alertly scanning their faces. She finally saw him walking behind with the guy who's reading a book. He's stirring him out of people's way.

She cleared her throat when they were about to pass by her.

Most of them stopped walking to look at her. The others who didn't, got pulled back. With seven eyes on her, it made her a lot more anxious. If the earth wouldn't open up and swallow her, she'd probably just turn around and run.

_No!_ she scolded herself.  _Get this out of the way._

Jia forced a smile and addressed Mark, who's silently waiting for her to speak.

"Hi, Mark."

Now their eyes are on him. "Mark, who's this?" asked the tallest.

"We probably need to give them some alone time." The one reading the book pushed the others away. "Keep walking!" he yelled when some of them stopped again.

When they're finally alone, he asked, "I'm sorry but do I know you?"


	5. Say My Name

_"He's the kind of guy who makes you love your name just because he says it."_

_\--_

If it were another guy, she would have taken it as an insult. She's been instilling fear on her schoolmates back in high school, everybody knew her name. Everybody remembered her face. 

She managed to smile without twitching. Her face does that when she's extremely nervous.

"You probably don't remember me, since it's been a long time," she began. "We're schoolmates in high school."

Mark stared at her intently, his eyebrows furrowed. He's probably trying to remember her face. It was a vague introduction, anyway. Since he didn't interact much with anyone other than her back in high school, he must have already forgotten everyone.

"Actually... we were... t-together f-for a while," she admitted.

Something flashed in his eyes. Recognition, perhaps?

He leaned forward, closer to her. Being a former bully, Jia should be used to that. She should remain unfazed because the moment you show anyone your weakness, they will use it against you. But she's moved on from that life. And she didn't know if that's the reason why she's flustered or if it's because... well... It's Mark.

"Jia?"

It was unnerving to hear him say her name again, after so many years. Jia hasn't even started her apology yet, but she already felt forgiven. She never liked her name. It's too simple for someone so complicated. She and Mark used to joke about their names before. 

_"I hate my name. I mean, don't my parents love me enough to give it more than three letters?"_

_"At least your name has two syllables. Mine only has one."_

He's always told her her name was pretty, that it suits her. She wondered if her name left a bad taste in his mouth just now.

"Yep. That's me," she weakly said.

"Jia," he repeated. She hates how much she likes the sound of that. 

 


	6. The Hardest Word

_"A meaningful silence is always better than meaningless words."_

_\--_

Jia thought she could just apologize and leave. She was wrong. When Mark has confirmed it was her, he invited her to get coffee, saying they have a lot of catching up to do. 

She has played this scenario a million times in her head and it always ends the same: Mark storming out in anger. Mark not forgiving her. Mark cursing her and telling her he she doesn't deserve to be forgiven. But none of that happened.

Instead, he met her eyes with kindness, no trace of hatred whatsoever. He genuinely wanted to know how she's been.

"A-Are you sure?"

"You came all the way here and even waited for some time," he told her, as if saying he's going to make it worth her while before sending her off to continue living her life, after he's forgiven her. Or maybe not. But she can't help but overthink everything.

\--

Mark has always been quiet. He was the weird kid, the one who never answered questions during recitations, didn't have friends, and never interacted with anyone intentionally. Some said he was aloof and anti-social, but he was always polite. Their teachers liked him. He got good grades, never failed one subject. He's never had any bad blood with anyone, even with those who used to bully him.

People bullied Mark because while they were craving to have friends, he was okay with being alone. He didn't mind the solitude. He found peace within himself and only welcomed company when necessary.

Unfortunately, people, especially kids, hate on something they don't fully understand and no one fully understood Mark. Why he likes the quiet. Why he's not lonely by himself. They saw his solitude as weakness. So they attacked, in more ways than one. Mark never fought back.

She wasn't sure if he just didn't mind or he didn't bother because he knew not much could have been done. Either way, he took all the punches, whether verbal or physical, and moved on quietly. Eventually, his bullies go tired.

\--

Jia kept her hands together on her lap. Mark's always been comfortable in silence. She's not. Silence means more room to think and her mind is always full of negative thoughts. So she has always tried filling that silence with something, whether music or conversations.

The music inside the coffee shop was too faint for her liking. It still left a big space to fill. 

Mark was stirring his cup of coffee, waiting for her to speak. She didn't know where to begin.  _Sorry_ seemed to be too strong a word to start a conversation, but how would she ease it in when her throat is dry and her mind is in frantic chaos?

"I don't remember you being this quiet," he said, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Mark put the tiny spoon he was stirring the coffee with down. He offered her a faint smile.

It helped loosen her tongue a little.

"Sorry," she told him.


	7. Prove It

_"If your actions do not prove the truth of your words, then your words are nothing more than lies."_

_\--_

Forced to do what her friends want, Jia sought out Mark. He was harder to find that she thought. Even when she asked around, nobody knew where he goes during his free time. Nobody ever talked to him in a conversational or friendly way. It's like people don't keep in touch when they don't need anything from him.

So she tried to put herself in his shoes and wondered to the quietest, most lonesome place in school. She did find him there. He was crouching on the ground, his eyes glued on his sketchbook. 

"Hey!"

Startled, Mark lost his balance and fell on his butt. 

God, she hates that haircut so much. How can she even pretend she likes him if his hair looks like someone put a cereal bowl over his head and cut around the edges? His short bangs had a slight dip in the middle. She didn't know if his hair was shining because of wax or grease.

And his eyebrows were so thick, they stand out too much. He's lucky he didn't have buck teeth.

He quickly got up when he noticed her. Surprisingly, he met her gaze. He didn't look nervous or afraid, which she found odd. People have always been nervous of her.

"My friends say you like me. Is that true?" she asked.

_Ah, yes. There's the shock._ Mark was clearly taken aback by the question. Who wouldn't be? It was so abrupt and so out of nowhere.

He blinked a few times before answering. "Yes."

He sounded neither arrogant nor confident. She had the urge to ask why, but asking for a reason is a sign of uncertainty and she didn't want to show him any trace of that.

"Do you want to be my boyfriend?"

Jia was worried it sounded more like a threat. She wanted to ask in a more pleasant way, but the thought of going out with him annoyed her. Why do they always pick the ugly one for this kind of torture? It's almost like her friends want her to suffer as well.

Her eyes, however, danced in amusement when he started coughing.  _See, you're not that tough._ He's just pretending to be unfazed, but his actions betrayed him.

"You're not answering. I guess you don't want to."

With a shrug, she turned around to leave. She took a few steps, each step matching a count in her head. He'll ask her to stop, eventually.

But she's already about to turn a corner and he's not calling her back yet.

Annoyed, she turned to him. He's still standing there. She stomped her way back to him.

"Do you really like me?!"

Mark nodded.

"Well... don't you want to be my boyfriend?"

He scratched his nape. "I-I'm not really sure if I can."

"Why do you think I asked?" She crossed her arms against her chest and continued, "But don't think I'm going to make it easy for you. You still have to prove yourself to me."

But as to how, she didn't say.


	8. Overdue Apology

_"Life becomes easier when you learn to accept an apology you never got."_

\--

"It's okay. I forgive you."

Mark has never been the type of person who bears grudges. He's well loved at home, taught in his early years that people can be mean and hurtful when they're suffering inside. It's instilled in his young mind to be kind to whoever he meets. His mom said they might be fighting a battle he knows nothing about, and they act mad or lash out as self-defense. 

Inflicting pain had been their way of getting revenge to a situation they have no control over.

Mark knew Jia had problems at home. He knew she was hanging out with the other bullies to protect herself. She built high walls around herself because she's afraid to further break. What she didn't realize was in doing so, she's also trapped herself inside. 

Her walls have cracks, though. There came a point when Mark thought he was already breaking through it. She was becoming vulnerable with him. And then, she shut him out again. The last time, it was permanent.

He was hurt too, but he never resented her. He couldn't. 

Maybe he wasn't that important to her back then, but she meant a lot to him. She was his first love. How can he ever hate his first love?

\--

Jia frowned, surprised when he suddenly spoke. Did she hear him correctly?

"W-What?"

He gave her a faint smile. "I've already forgiven you a long time ago. So if you're here because you're still burdened by what happened, you can stop feeling guilty now."

She still couldn't comprehend his statement. 

Earlier, she was able to tell him everything that's been burdening her for the past few years. He listened intently while she talked and though he didn't speak the entire time, he nodded reassuringly to make her continue until she's let everything out.

Jia wanted forgiveness, but it didn't feel as rewarding and relieving as she hoped. 

"You're not mad at me?"

"What's the point of being mad? It's not going to change the past."

She nodded in agreement. But still--

Mark looked at his phone and quickly apologized. "Sorry, I have to go see my friends now," he told her while he's pulling out some bills from his wallet. He placed it on the table, pointed to her and reiterated, "We're cool now, okay? Forget about what happened. It's been years. I've already forgotten about it."

\--

Mark was already long gone, but Jia's still unmoving, staring at the cup of cold coffee he left half full. She should have felt relief by now. She should have stopped feeling guilty. Yet somehow, it made her heart heavier & she couldn't understand why.

Jia was afraid of beautiful things because she knew they never last. It's the same thing with happiness. It's a fleeting feeling, something that isn't meant to be kept. _'You can't miss something you never had'_  . If beautiful things never last, then why have them in the first place?

She knew her friends were bad, but they were good to her. They treated her like family and for someone who don't really feel that in her own home, it's a big deal. She accepted her friends' flaws and made their pain an excuse to hurt other people. Hating made them feel powerful.

What she did to Mark was probably the worst thing she ever did to anyone. Hating is a piece of cake, but it takes a special kind of evil to lead someone on for months and feed on his love until he's completely consumed and then, break his heart when he's at his happiest.

This is why she couldn't understand how he forgave her so easily, as if he wasn't hurt by what she did before. It was as if it's just a trivial thing, while all those years, she's being haunted by her conscience.

His forgiveness seems nonchalant, like he has a lot of it to dispose and giving it to her isn't that big of a deal. Jia knew he didn't mean to, but it's like he has invalidated the guilt she's been carrying for years. She wished he became mad at her, even a little. She'd accept it if he demanded proof that she's apologetic.

Heck, she'd be grateful for even just a tinge of hesitation on his part.

Doesn't Mark know that sometimes being too kind is cruel too?


	9. Imperfectly Perfect

_"Imperfection is perfection to a beautiful perspective."_

_\--_

Jia was Mark's first love.

Mark didn't know how love works. He just knew he loved her then.

Why else would he put up with her friends? Why else did he not speak up about the bullying and humiliation they did to him in her expense? He cared for her deeply. Maybe it was because he saw her differently. Not the girl who bullied others, but a girl who used hate as a defense mechanism because she thought the world would eventually hurt her if she wouldn't hurt it first.

Jia never smiled when she was with her friends. She sneered and smirked, sure, but that was to display arrogance and not to convey happiness. She was always sad, he thought. And he wanted to make her happy.

That was probably his first mistake. He treated her like a broken glass and did his best to  _fix her_. No matter how carefully he held her, he still inevitably cut himself.

\--

Even before he began liking her, Mark has already accepted the fact that he doesn't have a chance. It's not that he thought he's not good enough for her. It's just that they're too different, like oil and water, that any kind of relationship wouldn't work in a long run.

So he just quietly observed, stared from a distance, & drew her. Eventually, the feeling will fade. That's what he always thought. Feelings tend to fade over time, he knew that much--especially the ones not nurtured. He had no plans to be a part of her life. 

People avoided her and her friends because they were bullies, but they never saw her the way he did. They never saw her cry. They never saw her blankly staring into space while she's alone. They never saw her smiling when a butterfly perched on her finger. They never saw her in her vulnerability. 

\--

Jia's friends caught him drawing her from a distance one day. If he knew they were already observing him, he would have stashed his sketchbook in his bag. But they caught him by surprise. They tore the paper out of his hands & called him creepy. He was a little nervous about what they'd possibly do with them. He knew there was a possibility that they'd show Jia his drawings. He wasn't really afraid of that, but he's nervous how she would react.

He thought she'd publicly humiliate him. Maybe tear his drawings in front of everyone so they could all laugh at how pathetic he was. What he didn't expect was her meeting him after class one afternoon, saying she'd give him a chance but he has to prove that he likes her.

He didn't know how to be romantic, he sucks at being romantic, having no previous experience at it. He was also unsure if she meant what she said or if she's just messing with him. So he treaded carefully and observed for a while. When he felt like she's expressed that she meant her statement genuinely enough, he took the chance. 

Mark didn't know how to court a girl, but he had several ideas. However, with someone like Jia, he felt like the usual _best foot forward_ wouldn't work. 

He didn't know how to be romantic, but he knew how to be a friend. So he made her rely on him, depend on him. He made her feel safe. And for a while, he thought she actually liked being with him. He doesn't know much about love, only that it's supposed to make people happy. When she told him she wants to end whatever it is they have going on, saying she was just playing with him, he was deeply hurt. He thought he was getting through her but apparently not.

It didn't come as a surprise to him, though. He never expected kindness from the beginning.


	10. A Fateful Encounter

_"Do you think the universe fights for souls to be together? Some things are too strange and strong to be coincidences."_

_\--_

"Mark. MARK! HEY MARKO!" Mark blinked when Jackson snapped his fingers in front of his face.

He must have fallen asleep while reviewing his notes. This is why he hates cramming. His brain can't take a lot of information at once, especially when he's sleepy.

"Hmm?" 

"Is your spirit here now? Are you with us? Man, we thought you died on us for a sec!"

He grinned. "Stop exaggerating."

"What happened? Did your brain melt or something?"

Well, it hasn't melted yet, but his brain is already shutting down.

They were studying since 7PM last night. Jinyoung suggested they study together, two days before the final exam. Jinyoung, of course, didn't need the review. He's always aced the class, even with little to no studying. Something just clicks in his brain during lectures.

No one actually thought they would get anything done because usually when they get together to _study_ , they end up just watching a movie or eating. But even Bambam and Yugyeom, the usual slackers of the bunch, were focused on reviewing. Who'd have thought those two even have plans to graduate?

But now they're all tired & sleepy.

"Let's buy some coffee," Jimin suggested.

"We have coffee," Jackson told Jimin. They're at her house because her parents are away.

"Not anymore," Jimin said. She pointed at the jar where the ground coffee was supposed to be. It's already empty.

He stood up and started taking everyone's order... everyone except Eun Ha. 

"How about Eun Ha?" he asked.

Jaebeom glanced at his best friend, who's still fast asleep on the couch. "She's asleep," he pointed out.

"Why does she get to sleep?" Yugyeom asked, yawning. They took a quick nap earlier and everyone's already awake except her. She's a deep sleeper, not one to wake up at the first sound of the alarm, especially during twilight. "I want to sleep too!"

"Because she's tired, Yugyeom," Jaebeom told him. He removed the stray hair from Eun Ha's face, oblivious of the weird stares they gave him. "Stop complaining."

Mark shook his head and smirked. He looked around to see who's awake enough to bring with him. He spotted Youngjae smiling on his phone.

"Youngjae," he called. "Come with me."

Youngjae stretched his arm and smiled sleepily. "Okay!"

\--

Youngjae was busy fiddling with his phone. Mark shook his head. Youngjae's happy these days. Good for him.

"She's still awake?"

Youngjae locked his phone and smiled. "I told her to sleep but she didn't want to."

Mark looked ahead and smiled to himself. Youngjae has always been positive and was a great source of enthusiasm and happiness within the group, even more so now. He'd definitely miss Youngjae. 

"Did you see what he did earlier?" he asked a while later.

 "Who?"

"Jaebeom."

"Ah, you mean the... yeah. He still doesn't get it, does he?"

He chuckled. He thinks it's more than that, though. Something's stopping those two from happening. He's just not sure what. It's clear as day that Eun Ha likes Jaebeom and he knew Jaebeom feels the same. "Yeah."

When they finally reached the cafe, he let Youngjae push the door open while he get the cash from his hoodie pocket.

" _Welcome!_ " a familiar voice greeted.


	11. Hello Again

_"I miss you like an idiot misses the point."_

_\--_

Mark stopped on track when he saw her standing behind the counter. Her smile quickly faded when she saw him too. 

After Jia asked for an apology and he readily gave it, he thought that was the end of it. Because he thought there was nothing more to do or say. He's already halfheartedly closed that chapter of his life. There was nothing more to do but move forward.

But it seems like the universe had a different plan.

"Is that why you'd rather buy at a coffee shop than from the convenience store?" Youngjae whispered.

Mark shook his head. "No. I have a loyalty card," he whispered back.

He wasn't lying. Since he hangs out with Jinyoung a lot, he's learned to like coffee and is already quite a heavy coffee drinker. He even got all the points to redeem a planner last year.

Besides, he didn't even know Jia was working at the shop. Not that he cared, he just found it... odd. As far as he knows, she lives in another town. She goes to school there. Also, she's still with her mom and stepfather. They won't ever let her leave.

Youngjae approached the counter. He followed. Jia regained her smile.

"Hi!" she greeted in a weirdly, perky tone. "What can I get you today?"

He smiled politely and handed her the paper with their orders. Jia punched in the orders and asked for payment. After paying, she quickly worked on them. 

Mark didn't mean to stare. It was just a habit he didn't unlearn. And maybe that's a good thing. For how else will he notice the slight discoloration on her cheek?

His stomach lurched at the sight of it. It was a familiar bruise. He's seen it too many times before. Some on the face, others on her arm... They were discreet bruises. It's like the attacker purposely held back so not a lot would show and make people question where they came from.

Jia always had an excuse. She fell downstairs. She knocked her head on something. But he never believed any of them. 

He bit his tongue to stop himself from asking. It's none of his business. But when she's done with the orders, he found himself asking, "What time does your shift end?" and then he told Youngjae to go ahead.

"I can't carry everything!" he whined.

"Yes, you can. Stop whining."

"Why?" Youngjae asked with a pout.

He sighed. "Just go," he replied.


	12. BeLIEve Me

_"Remember when I told you I was okay? I lied."_

_\--_

Jia wasn't expecting to see Mark anymore, let alone at that hour. It was hard enough to work on their orders while he stares. He's the only one who stares like that, always with worry or concern. You can almost read his thoughts through his expressions. Something made him worry.

Unconsciously, Jia touched the bruise on her cheek.  _Did he--_ She glanced at Mark who's sitting outside. He's been stirring that cup of coffee since earlier but he barely took a sip.

Maybe he's not that observant? But he's always noticed her bruises before.

\--

Jia's shift's about to end in fifteen minutes. She wished it'd be longer. She's scared to know why he's waiting. She also knew that when he said he'd wait, he will wait. No matter how long it takes. A sudden flashback of their first date suddenly came to mind. He waited for hours. She didn't show up then. But he waited until she told him to go home. It's one of the reasons why...

She shook her head.

\--

Jia said goodbye to the manager before heading out. She stood in front of Mark's table, the ice on his cup has already melted. She sat down, when he asked her to, and smiled. "What's up?"

First, Mark just stared. It was like he was waiting for something and she should know what it is. But she doesn't. He put the cup he was playing with and slowly leaned forward to touch her cheek. His cold fingers on her skin made her flinch.

Frowning, he asked, "What happened to you?"

She pulled away and averted her gaze. So he did notice it. Nothing really escapes him.

"N-Nothing."

Mark put his hand inside his sweater's pocket. "You're lying." There was no accusation in his voice.

"I hit my face on something. I don't remember where. It's nothing," she insisted. She glanced at him. He's frowning. Then, he said, "I didn't believe you then. What makes you think I'll believe you now?"

She closed her eyes as wave after wave of memory floods her mind. She was forced to lie about the situation constantly, making up story after story, at some point, she actually believed she's okay. Her friends might have known the real situation, but no one intervened or did anything about it. She inhaled sharply, remembering how he confronted her about a bruise on her arm before. She told him she fell. Others believed her excuse. Mark didn't fall for it.

"It's none of your concern."

Mark sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry for prying."

He suddenly stood up and said, "Come on. I'll walk you home."

Jia hesitated. "You don't have to." _Stop being so kind_ , she wanted to add.

Mark remained standing, waiting. When she didn't move, he sat down again and said, "Or we can talk about that bruise on your cheek. Your choice."

Grunting, she chose the former. She didn't want to talk about her bruise because it's like opening a scab because it's itchy.

\--

She walked fast, but Mark didn't fall behind. He was able to keep up with her pace. She's used to going home alone because it's just a short walk and she has pepper spray with her. If anything, it's more uncomfortable when someone walks alongside her.

"I told you, you didn't have to," she told him when they reached the front door.

Mark looked at the house and then, to her. "You live here?"

She forced a smile. "Temporarily."

"When did you move? My friends live nearby," he told her.

There he goes again with his questions. Mark has nothing to do with her anymore. Why does he even bother?

"Oh. This isn't my house. I'm just staying for a few days until I find a cheap apartment to live in."

He frowned. "Why? You moved out from your parents' house?"

She bit her lip, quickly whipping up an excuse in her head. "You could say that."

Mark raised an eyebrow. Has she been lying so obviously all this time? "Your mom let you leave?"

"Yes," she answered, but didn't expound on that. "Listen, thanks for walking me home. I don't know why you're being nice to me, but thank you. But I'm really tired and I have a class later."

"Oh." He nodded. "Sure." Mark gave her a slight smile and said good night.


End file.
